11.50 lakh students to appear in last 2 board exams today & tomorrow

11.50 lakh students to appear in last 2 board exams today & tomorrow

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ajmer: 29.06.2020

Around 11.5 lakh students will appear in the class X social science exam of Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (RBSE) on Monday in more than 6,000 examination centres across the state. Social science and maths exams were not conducted as the lockdown was forced in the state on March 20.

Looking at the large number of students appearing in the exam, the RBSE has asked authorities to ensure proper maintenance of social distancing norms strictly. A similar number f students will also appear for the maths exam on June 30.

The CBSE has cancelled the remaining board exams of classes X and XII but the RBSE has already conducted the remaining exams of class XII.

The exam will start at 8.30am but the RBSE has Asked students that they should reach the examination centre an hour before. The board claimed that question papers have already been sent to examination centres and subcentres for keeping social distancing.

A board official said thermal screening was compulsory for every student and staff entering the examination centre and flying squads have been asked to ensure that social distancing in classrooms are followed strictly.

Board sources said as all examinations will over on June 30, it is preparing to declare the result of class X and XII board exams by July 15. Officials said they were are trying to declare the result of class XII first so that students can apply for admission in higher education institutes.

Capt postpones exit exams in varsities, colleges

Capt postpones exit exams in varsities, colleges

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chandigarh: 29.06.2020

The Punjab chief minister, Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday announced postponement of exams for the exit classes in all the universities and colleges of the state till July 15 due to Covid-19 pandemic.

The chief minister, however, made it clear since all the universities and colleges in the state are accredited or affiliated to the University Grants Commission (UGC), any decision on the examinations can only be taken by the statutory body under the Union ministry of human resource development. New directions or guidelines are expected to be released by the UGC any time.

Amarinder issued the clarification while responding to the concerns expressed by students and parents on the conduct of examinations during the ongoing Covid pandemic.

The chief minister said the postponement of the examinations for the exit classes till July 15 will also give all the stakeholders, especially the universities, time to adapt and align to the new guidelines that will come from UGC.

The universities across Punjab had taken a decision to conduct exams of exit classes in the month of July, in accordance with the guidelines issued by UGC on April 29. Later, the UGC had announced that it would review the situation again. The UGC decision regarding academic activities, especially conduct of examinations, is still awaited.

The CM said the postponement of exams for exit classes till July 15 will also give all the stakeholders, especially the universities, time to adapt and align to new guidelines

Cops above 50 told to work from home

Cops above 50 told to work from home

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

29.06.2020

Bengaluru: Police commissioner Bhaskar Rao on Sunday issued an order directing all his filed personnel aged above 50 with comorbid conditions to work remotely. This comes a week after he had instructed cops aged 55 years and above to work from home.

Rao’s fresh instructions come in the wake of increasing Covid-19 cases among police personnel in the city. As of June 21, 67 cops had tested positive in the city. The number has now shot up to at least 130.

“At least eight fresh cases have been added between yesterday and today (Saturday and Sunday), including an assistant commissioner of police attached to traffic,” one official said.

The new order reads: “In view of the increasing number of Covid-19 cases, personnel aged more than 50 years with comorbid conditions must compulsorily work from home.”

Last week, Rao had issued 13 directives, which included instructions that police should not allow anyone from outside the force to walk into the stations and that they must attend to complainants in the temporary tents only after conducting body temperature checks.

He had said police should ensure no person in distress returns without getting assistance. The temporary arrangements should have sufficient chairs for both police and the public, but physical distancing must be mandatorily enforced.

On Saturday, the Bengaluru police department lost its fourth personnel to the virus. The official announcement came on Sunday.

‘Not sharing result is violation of rights’

‘Not sharing result is violation of rights’

Sunitha.Rao@timesgroup.com  29.06.2020

Bengaluru: Doctors and health activists are up in arms over the government’s directive to labs, banning them from sharing results on Covid-19 swab samples with patients. Activists say it’s an infringement of a patient’s basic right.

The government has warned all 75 labs not to inform patients about their test results, insisting it should be routed through the district administration concerned. A similar rule is in force in Maharashtra.

“Who is more interested in the result than the patient?” said Dr Ramana Rao, Bengaluru-based cardiologist. “The government’s move is unwarranted. The patient and relatives should be informed first so that they can take precautions and contain the spread. If it is negative, let them feel relieved.” He said resident welfare associations and police should also be informed.

Health department officials and BBMP said the order was sent out as patients themselves were knocking on hospital doors without the test report, seeking admission. They say they were informed by the labs of a positive result.

“There is a need to counsel patients and explain the admission procedure. It if not, it only spreads panic,” a BBMP official said. However, citizens and doctors are unconvinced. “If patients know they are infected, at least they will act responsibly. What good does it do by not disclosing results to a patient?” a doctor asked. Another doctor labelled the move “utter nonsense”. “I feel the government is fudging numbers for some gain,” the doctor asked.

Jayanagar MLA Soumya Reddy said the government must rethink the notification. “It’s not the patient’s fault that the government’s health system does not have adequate facilities,” she said. She said many patients call her seeking her intervention in getting hospital beds when BBMP delays picking them up.

Srinivasa Alavilli, cofounder, Citizens for Bengaluru, said no one has the right to deny critical personal information to an individual, even more so when it is a question of life and death. “The notification is surprising and shocking. The state and BBMP have done a stellar job managing the crisis so far and we trust them to do the right thing as we go into critical phase of transmission in our city,” he said.

The government has warned all 75 labs not to inform patients about their test results, insisting it should be routed through the district administration concerned.

No Covid case due to lapse at exam centres: Kumar

No Covid case due to lapse at exam centres: Kumar

SruthySusan.Ullas@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru: 29.06.2020

At least two SSLC candidates have tested positive for coronavirus in Karnataka, but S Suresh Kumar, minister for primary and secondary education, defended the state government’s decision to conduct exams, saying no case had resulted from any safety lapse at test centres. Amid growing calls that the remaining papers should be called off, Kumar told TOI that the government had decided to conduct the exams in the interest of students.

With Covid-19 cases rising and some students testing positive, are you rethinking the rest of the exams?

Let me make it clear: no student has turned positive because of a lack of security [safety] measures at exam centres. As for the isolated cases, we will go by what the health department asks us to do. We resolved to conduct the SSLC examinations only in the best interest of students. Three papers are already over and they were incident-free. Only four to go.

Parents are worried as cases are being reported from within centres.

We have over 3,300 centres across Karnataka, out of which, after three days, one incident has come to light in a district. All the 18 children who wrote the exam with the boy and the invigilator have tested negative. The infected student, who underwent random testing for Covid-19 when he was suspected to have dengue fever earlier, is also learnt to be quite stable. There is no need for any parent to be worried as the foolproof system we put in place won’t allow any transmission.

What extra precautions are being taken now?

SOPs are being strictly adhered to. In the light of Saturday’s incident [a student testing positive], we have received clear communication from the health department that since all security measures are in place, other students in any exam hall cannot be considered as contacts... The health department has even cited the precedent of a primary contact of a Covid-19 patient facing the exams and remaining healthy.

Authorities have been unable to keep a tab on swabbed students.

Over 25 students have been identified by the health department as Covid-19 positive and they have been denied permission to appear for exams for now. We will continue to have the best identification and correction mechanism in place.

Why is the state conducting exams with so much risk?

Let me make it very clear. It is not a question of prestige for us to conduct these exams. I believe we don’t have the right to demean the enthusiasm shown by parents and children. I am saying this after meeting thousands of children and parents.

STUDENT TESTS POSITIVE IN UDUPI

A student who appeared for Saturday’s SSLC exam at a centre in Padubidri, Udupi, has been diagnosed with Covid-19. Minister for primary and secondary education S Suresh Kumar said the student was tested after her father’s infection was confirmed. “The particular exam room has been sanitised, and it will not serve as the venue for the science paper,” he said.

18 CANDIDATES TEST NEGATIVE IN HASSAN

Eighteen SSLC candidates and an invigilator in Hassan, who shared the exam hall with a student with coronavirus infection, tested negative on Saturday in a huge relief for officials. The 18 candidates will appear for the next exam on Monday. The student stricken with Covid-19 wrote the paper at Mallipatna Government High School in Arkalgud, Hassan.

Punjab puts on hold exit exams in univs, colleges

Punjab puts on hold exit exams in univs, colleges

Chandigarh:  29.06.2020

Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday announced postponement of exams for the exit classes in all universities and colleges of the state till July 15 due to Covid-19 pandemic.

He however made it clear since all the universities and colleges in the state are accredited or affiliated to the UGC, any decision on the examinations can only be taken by the statutory body under the Union ministry of human resource development. New directions or guidelines are expected to be released by the UGC any time. TNN

Full report on www.toi.in

SC holds special Sunday hearing in Raj exam case

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: 29.06.2020

In a special hearing conducted on Sunday, the Supreme Court refused to interfere in Rajasthan government’s decision to hold remaining board exams for class X students scheduled from Monday and dismissed a plea seeking quashing of exams.

A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and Sanjiv Khanna assembled in the evening to grant an urgent hearing hours before the examination was to start but did not find merit in the petition filed by a mother of a student. The petitioner approached the SC after her plea was rejected by Rajasthan HC. Dismissing the plea, the bench said state government would take all necessary precautions as per the national guidelines and regulations.